Southern California aggro rockers Countershock play it safe yet sultry on the quartet's 13-track TOYS. Meshing hard rock riffs with powerful female vocals, this outfit borrows from the likes of Godsmack, No Doubt, Disturbed, and Velvet Revolver on tracks like "Crown of Thorns" to hammer their attack home. The disc volleys between acoustically-tinged heartbreakers ("In the Dark") to haunting atmospheric rockers ("Voices"), making perfect fodder for modern rock radio to scoop up and play the hell out of. Nothing groundbreaking here, just some meat and potatoes hard rock served straight up for mass appeal.www.whoiscountershock.com
- Mike SOS